Exodus12

Exodus 12 details the institution of the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The LORD commanded Israel to sacrifice a blemishless lamb, apply its blood to their doorposts, and eat its roasted flesh with unleavened bread, as a sign for protection from the coming plague on Egypt's firstborn. This night culminated in the smiting of Egypt's firstborn, prompting Pharaoh to release Israel, leading to their hasty departure after 430 years of sojourning.
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Institution of the Passover and New Calendar

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Now the LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt,
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“This month is the beginning of months for you; it shall be the first month of your year. ​
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Tell the whole congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man must select a lamb for his family, one per household.
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If the household is too small for a whole lamb, they are to share with the nearest neighbor based on the number of people, and apportion the lamb accordingly.
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Your lamb must be an unblemished year-old male, and you may take it from the sheep or the goats. ​
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You must keep it until the fourteenth day of the month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel will slaughter the animals at twilight. ​
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They are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs. ​
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They are to eat the meat that night, roasted over the fire, along with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.
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Do not eat any of the meat raw or cooked in boiling water, but only roasted over the fire—its head and legs and inner parts.
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Do not leave any of it until morning; before the morning you must burn up any part that is left over.
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This is how you are to eat it: You must be fully dressed for travel, with your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. You are to eat in haste; it is the LORD’s Passover. ​
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On that night I will pass through the land of Egypt and strike down every firstborn male, both man and beast, and I will execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD. ​
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The blood on the houses where you are staying will distinguish them; when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No plague will fall on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.

The Feast of Unleavened Bread

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And this day will be a memorial for you, and you are to celebrate it as a feast to the LORD, as a permanent statute for the generations to come. ​
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For seven days you must eat unleavened bread. On the first day you are to remove the leaven from your houses. Whoever eats anything leavened from the first day through the seventh must be cut off from Israel. ​
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On the first day you are to hold a sacred assembly, and another on the seventh day. You must not do any work on those days, except to prepare the meals—that is all you may do.
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So you are to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this very day I brought your divisions out of the land of Egypt. You must keep this day as a permanent statute for the generations to come.
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In the first month you are to eat unleavened bread, from the evening of the fourteenth day until the evening of the twenty-first day.
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For seven days there must be no leaven found in your houses. If anyone eats something leavened, that person, whether a foreigner or native of the land, must be cut off from the congregation of Israel.
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You are not to eat anything leavened; eat unleavened bread in all your homes.”

Moses Instructs Israel

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Then Moses summoned all the elders of Israel and told them, “Go at once and select for yourselves a lamb for each family, and slaughter the Passover lamb. ​
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Take a cluster of hyssop, dip it into the blood in the basin, and brush the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe. None of you shall go out the door of his house until morning. ​
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When the LORD passes through to strike down the Egyptians, He will see the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe and will pass over that doorway; so He will not allow the destroyer to enter your houses and strike you down. ​
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And you are to keep this command as a permanent statute for you and your descendants.
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When you enter the land that the LORD will give you as He promised, you are to keep this service.
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When your children ask you, ‘What does this service mean to you?’
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you are to reply, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice to the LORD, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt when He struck down the Egyptians and spared our homes.’” Then the people bowed down and worshiped. ​
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And the Israelites went and did just what the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron.

The Tenth Plague and the Exodus

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Now at midnight the LORD struck down every firstborn male in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sat on his throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner in the dungeon, as well as all the firstborn among the livestock. ​
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During the night Pharaoh got up—he and all his officials and all the Egyptians—and there was loud wailing in Egypt; for there was no house without someone dead.
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Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron by night and said, “Get up, leave my people, both you and the Israelites! Go, worship the LORD as you have requested.
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Take your flocks and herds as well, just as you have said, and depart! And bless me also.”
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And in order to send them out of the land quickly, the Egyptians urged the people on. “For otherwise,” they said, “we are all going to die!” ​
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So the people took their dough before it was leavened, carrying it on their shoulders in kneading bowls wrapped in clothing. ​
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Furthermore, the Israelites acted on Moses’ word and asked the Egyptians for articles of silver and gold, and for clothing.
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And the LORD gave the people such favor in the sight of the Egyptians that they granted their request. In this way they plundered the Egyptians. ​

The Journey Begins

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The Israelites journeyed from Rameses to Succoth with about 600,000 men on foot, besides women and children. ​
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And a mixed multitude also went up with them, along with great droves of livestock, both flocks and herds. ​
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Since their dough had no leaven, the people baked what they had brought out of Egypt into unleavened loaves. For when they had been driven out of Egypt, they could not delay and had not prepared any provisions for themselves.
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Now the duration of the Israelites’ stay in Egypt was 430 years. ​
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At the end of the 430 years, to the very day, all the LORD’s divisions went out of the land of Egypt.
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Because the LORD kept a vigil that night to bring them out of the land of Egypt, this same night is to be a vigil to the LORD, to be observed by all the Israelites for the generations to come. ​

Regulations for Passover Participation

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And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “This is the statute of the Passover: No foreigner is to eat of it.
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But any slave who has been purchased may eat of it, after you have circumcised him. ​
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A temporary resident or hired hand shall not eat the Passover.
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It must be eaten inside one house. You are not to take any of the meat outside the house, and you may not break any of the bones. ​
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The whole congregation of Israel must celebrate it.
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If a foreigner resides with you and wants to celebrate the LORD’s Passover, all the males in the household must be circumcised; then he may come near to celebrate it, and he shall be like a native of the land. But no uncircumcised man may eat of it. ​
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The same law shall apply to both the native and the foreigner who resides among you.” ​
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Then all the Israelites did this—they did just as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron.
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And on that very day the LORD brought the Israelites out of the land of Egypt by their divisions. ​

Study Notes for Exodus 12

Verse 2

This command re-orders the religious calendar, effectively establishing the month of Nisan (Abib), marking Israel’s redemption, as the first month, symbolizing a new beginning for the nation.

Verse 5

The requirement that the lamb be 'without blemish' and a 'male of the first year' emphasizes the need for a perfect sacrifice, foreshadowing the ultimate sacrifice of Christ (1 Pet. 1:19).

Verse 6

The phrase 'in the evening' (Hebrew: *ben ha-arbayim*) refers to the twilight period, usually understood by later Jewish tradition as the time between sundown and full darkness, or mid-afternoon.

Verse 7

The application of the blood to the doorposts was the crucial act of faith and obedience, providing a visible 'token' of identification for the LORD to 'pass over' the house during judgment.

Verse 11

Eating in haste emphasizes readiness for immediate departure; the ritual clothing (girded loins, shoes, staff) symbolizes preparation for a journey. The name 'Passover' (*Pesach*) is officially established here.

Verse 12

The judgment was explicitly directed against 'all the gods of Egypt,' demonstrating Yahweh's sovereignty and power over the entire Egyptian pantheon and worldview.

Verse 14

The Passover and the subsequent seven-day Feast of Unleavened Bread are established as a perpetual 'memorial' and 'ordinance for ever,' ensuring the memory of the Exodus remains central to Israel’s identity.

Verse 15

Leaven (yeast) often symbolizes corruption or sin in Scripture. Its removal represents the spiritual purification necessary for a people redeemed by God. To violate this rule meant being 'cut off' (excommunicated/punished).

Verse 21

Moses now transmits the lengthy divine instructions to the elders, who would then ensure the entire congregation understood and complied with the detailed, urgent requirements.

Verse 22

Hyssop, a small shrub, was used for sprinkling in purification rites (cf. Ps. 51:7). Remaining inside the house until morning emphasized that protection was only guaranteed within the covenant boundaries marked by the blood.

Verse 23

The 'destroyer' is often understood as a divine agent, possibly an angel, executing God’s judgment. Yahweh ensures this agent bypasses the blood-marked homes.

Verse 27

The instruction for future generations establishes the Passover as a teaching tool, ensuring that the historical truth of deliverance is passed down. The people's immediate worship demonstrates faith and obedience before the event occurred.

Verse 29

The plague struck 'at midnight,' emphasizing the suddenness and finality of God's judgment. The devastation spanned the entire social structure, from the highest royalty to the lowest captive, proving Yahweh’s absolute power.

Verse 33

The Egyptians, terrified by the universal death, now actively urge the Israelites to leave immediately, reversing Pharaoh’s earlier stubborn refusal.

Verse 34

The dough was unleavened because they were forced to leave so quickly, providing the practical and historical basis for the seven-day Feast of Unleavened Bread (Matzah).

Verse 36

The Israelites 'spoiled the Egyptians,' receiving valuable items as compensation for centuries of forced, unpaid labor, fulfilling the prophecy given to Abraham (Gen. 15:14).

Verse 37

The figure 'six hundred thousand on foot that were men' suggests a total population (including women and children) of perhaps two million people, marking the beginning of the nation's movement toward the Promised Land.

Verse 38

The 'mixed multitude' included non-Israelites who joined the Exodus, likely impressed by Yahweh's demonstration of power. This group later proved to be a source of trouble and complaining (Num. 11:4).

Verse 40

This precise timeline (430 years) confirms the fulfillment of God’s covenant promises regarding the length of their sojourn and oppression (Gen. 15:13).

Verse 42

This night is designated as a 'night to be much observed'—a vigil (*shimmurim*)—dedicated to Yahweh, recognizing that their deliverance was solely due to His intervention.

Verse 44

The rules emphasize that participation in the Passover is tied to covenant membership and ownership. Bought servants could participate only after circumcision, signifying their inclusion into the household of faith.

Verse 46

The prohibition against breaking a bone of the lamb is highly specific and later understood by the New Testament writers as a prophecy fulfilled in the crucifixion of Jesus (John 19:33-36).

Verse 48

A stranger (resident alien) could participate only if all males in his household submitted to circumcision. This universal requirement stresses that covenant markers must precede participation in covenant rituals.

Verse 49

The principle of 'one law' established equality before God’s covenant requirements, regardless of whether a person was a native Israelite or a circumcised sojourner.

Verse 51

The final verse summarizes the fulfillment of the entire divine plan: God brought the Israelites out of Egypt by their 'armies' (organized groups/tribes), confirming their identity as a unified, liberated people.

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